Thailand demanded a gift elephant back from Sri Lanka after the elephant ended up enslaved in a logging camp
Pradeep Dambarage / Nurphoto
- Thailand demanded a gift elephant back from Sri Lanka because it had been enslaved and tortured.
- The elephant, Mutha Raja, was forced to work with a temple logging crew, according to France 24.
- Mutha Raja would've died had the Thai government not intervened, an activist told AFP News.
An elephant gifted from Thailand to Sri Lanka has been returned after allegations the animal was tortured and abused in a temple logging camp.
The 29-year-old elephant — known as Mutha Raja in Sri Lanka and Sak Surin in Thailand — was originally gifted in 2001 as part of the country's diplomatic missions, according to AFP News.
But on Friday, the elephant returned home after Thai authorities accused a Sri Lanka temple of mistreating and neglecting him. He had been forced to work in a logging crew and tortured, animal rights activists said, France 24 reported.
According to Agence France-Presse, the elephant was in pain and covered in marks and abscesses when Thai authorities discovered it and Sri Lanka's government intervened.
The elephant recovered at a Colombo zoo before Thailand arranged for him to return home, although an injury on his front leg will require future therapy, AFP said.
The Rally for Animal Rights and Environment animal activism group was thankful Thailand stepped in, with RARE's director telling AFP: "He would be dead by now if the Thai government did not intervene."